Values-Based Spiritual Living

It's a brand new year filled with possibility. Many people set intentions and goals for the year. Some make vision boards. Others set off following a yearly journal or a program.

This year, to guide our Sunday Services and collective awakening, our Center has chosen an interactive journal called Values-Based Spiritual Living, inspired and created by Rev. Dr. Edward Viljoen, senior minister at the Santa Rosa Center for Spiritual Living. In the introduction Edward writes:

"This interactive journal offers you weekly opportunities to reflect on the values of our community and how they relate to your spiritual life."

Each month, the journal focuses on a spiritual value, offering writings and journal prompts designed to explore the value more deeply each week. Dr. Heather will be basing many of her talks this year on the ideas presented in the journal, sharing her perspective as we move through the year. The journal is a wonderful tool designed to empower the weekly message within each individual's life, providing a pathway to incorporating it into our own life and experiences.

Edward continues in the introduction:

"As we explore the values of our spiritual organization together in 2017 and write about them in this journal, it is my hope that you will get clarity on your own values, integrate them more strongly into your thoughts, and allow them to shape your words and deeds."

We invite you all to join us in this journey and exploration of spiritual values. The Interactive Journal is available to you...FREE..simply click here. We ask that you reproduce it only for your own use. Also printed copies of the monthly writings will be available in the Sanctuary every month.

This is Spiritual Living

"What I believe doesn't revolve around a story. It can't be defined by a specific historical event. It has never been completely explained by any one person. There is no ultimate authority on the subject, but me."

Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional

Occasionally I watch Saturday Night Live. I almost always laugh. Since laughter is the best medicine, I trust that you enjoy the clip.

Debby Downer is someone who brings negativity and fear into every conversation. We laugh at the comedy sketches thankful that we do not have friends with the worldview of "Life is bad and then it gets worse."

When something is bothering me I do want to share it of discuss it with others. I think that is a human tendency. What we learn  on our spiritual path is that wherever our attention goes, energy flows. If I continuously put my attention on what is going wrong with my life and with the world, then I will get more of that. A great rule of thumb is to share your story only once. Then let it go.

Refuse to be  a Debby Downer. Refuse to grow more pain and live a life of suffering.

On page 107 of The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes wrote: " The world is beginning to learn that it has learned all it should through suffering and pain. Surely there can be no Intelligence in the universe that wishes humans to be sick, suffer pain, be unhappy and end in oblivion.Surely if God or Universal Intelligence is imbued with goodness, then It could not ordain that humans should ultimately be other than  perfect expressions of Life." 

So when we think about it, that ultimate thinking Stuff could not have intended for us to suffer pain, but might have given us pain so that we could change our actions, words and thoughts. Pain is feedback. Learn to listen to it than change course.

Let's practice together to choose to live in alignment with our spiritual nature.

Self Appreciation

" There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance;that imitation is suicide;"     Ralph Waldo Emerson

These immortal words in Emerson's essay on Self-Reliance  are just as true today as they were 150 years ago when they were written.

Yet in our current culture we are encouraged to compare ourselves with air-brushed 30-year -old models and to value ourselves by our possessions. Television and print media show us perfect, happy people, perfectly dressed and coiffed,  driving the newest cars. The message is clear that we too can be happy, good-looking and well-dressed if we ...

Nothing could be further from the spiritual truth.

Since the spiritual truth is that we are creative beings, made in the image and nature of Creator, there is absolutely no good reason to imitate or to feel envious! As creative being, our lives are limited only by our imaginations. If we want a certain quality or outcome, we learn to accept it as ours in mind. We learn to treasure the gift of creativity within ourselves.

This is a lesson I have been learning for many years.

When I was a school-age child, I envied my best friend Lois, who always seemed to wear the latest styles in shoes. My parents took our family to a special shoe store, where our feet were carefully measured for the year's sensible shoes. While my friend was wearing penny loafers, I was stuck with saddle shoes. I hated those shoes. they were so old-fashioned! I definitely envied my friend, whose parents let their children buy the shoes in fashion. There were many times that i would have gladly traded my strict stodgy parents for hers. 

During my early-teen years, i was a typically rebellious kid, strong-willed. Some might say stubborn. However, the rebelliousness did not lead me to be an independent thinker. It led me to follow the trends of the day, and to imitate the current Hollywood stars.

Now I can see how blessed I was to have the parents I had, for encouraging me to think for myself and for loving me through all the changes and phases of my life. Ironically, now I think that those saddle shoes were kind of cute.

Saddle Shoes like the ones I had to wear

 

Cute Penny Loafers

You Can't See Them But I likely was Wearing Saddle Shoes

The Value of Classes

I love teaching the Science of Mind!

I love it because I am privileged to witness people waking up to their spiritual magnificence!

I love it because I have an opportunity to examine my own consciousness to see if I am right-thinking!

I love it because it  because I get to know the students and they get to know me and each other.

Have you ever wondered why people take the same class a number of times? If you have taken a class more than once, you will know why. We are not the same people we were when we first started taking classes. We have changed, learned and grown more spiritually mature so we are now learning at a higher level of consciousness, with deeper, clearer understanding.

The Greek philosopher Heroclitus said,

 "You can't stand in the same river twice." 

His meaning was that the river, and the universe are forever changing so the river has changed and we have changed. Our experience might be similar but it will not be identical. 

Dr. Jay Scott Neale, one of my colleagues who studied with Ernest Holmes Brother Fenwicke, would tell how Fenwicke would study the text book every morning. When Dr, Jay asked him why he did it, Fenwicke replied, "I am certain my brother comes in at night when I am not looking and writes new things."

Students who take a class for a second or third time feel the same way. The ideas that first bedazzled them now feel common, but something else always pops up. Something to learn, embrace and be.

When you are in a class, you are reading, meditating and praying everyday. And when you are consistent with your practices, then your life changes because you have changed your thinking not just at a surface level but deeply changed it.

Wherever you are, whatever has been your path up until now, I highly encourage you to take a Science of Mind Class. You will be so happy you made that decision!

In class last Tuesday night, Kathy Storey, RScP, sent a birthday banana, complete with candle! She sent it because she knows I am trying to eat less flour, so instead of a cake, she sent a banana! It made the entire class smile! 

Birthday Banana

Why Do Bad Things happen to Good People?

The Church of My Childhood Taught Good vs Evil

Why do bad things happen to good people? Our philosophy clearly gives answers that not many other spiritual paths give us. We do not believe in a punishing God. neither do we believe in a rewarding God. We believe that our consciousness is creative.

I just returned from Los Angeles, where the newest Centers for Spiritual Living ministerial students have gathered for the last piece of their ministerial training. One of the activities on which they were evaluated was their ability to give a five minute talk on one of five subjects. One of the subjects was my topic today.

Most students were clear that it is our judgment that determines whether something is good or bad. A couple of students quoted Shakespeare's Hamlet, "There is nothing either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."

Of course the way we perceive anything makes a difference and if we are determined to continue using our own ruler to determine good and bad, we will continue to perceive things as either good nor bad.

However, that does not answer the question of why do bad things happen to good people or even conversely why do good things happen to bad people. The answer lies at a different level of consciousness. When we are looking at good things and bad things, we are looking at the level of effect, not the level of cause. There is a perfect cause for every effect. It is the creative process in the Universe and in the individual. Jesus reminded us that "It is done unto us as we believe."

Let us examine some bad things that could occur in a person's life. Loss of health could be seen as a "bad" thing. Loss of income or job security could be seen as a bad thing. Loss of friendship could be seen as a bad thing. Loss of love could be seen as a bad thing.

However, no matter what kind of loss or disaster has occurred in my life, no matter how I may rail against life and scream that it is unfair for a good person to be experiencing these things, the truth is at some level, obvious or subtle, I must have had a stronger belief in loss thanI had in good health, increasing prosperity, ever-lasting love, etc. This is the foundational principle hat we teach, espouse and live by. To do otherwise is to make us victims of circumstances. We were born to be victors not victims.We were born to prove the principle in every area of our lives and live fully.

So the answer is a simple one: Bad things happen to good people because at some level of consciousness, those good people had a belief in those bad things. First Cause to all creation lives within each one of us, as each one of us.

We are powerful beyond measure.

The spiritual path we are travelling, requires the greatest self-honesty we can find. We cannot and should not judge another person's path, for by doing so we are saying that we know what is another person's mind and heart. But we will benefit from examining the results in our own lives.We can find the deep spiritual gift in all our experiences.And we can begin to change our minds about our cherished beliefs in struggle, lack and unhappiness.

Be true to the magnificence that you are. Let your inner light shine.

Swing Time Cabaret Brings Sweet Memories

Tonight our Center's Choir is presenting their annual choir show, Swing Time Cabaret.

I watched the dress rehearsal last night and it is a great show! I realized that with the exception of a Spanish song, I knew the lyrics to all the songs. Some have been great favorites. The choir planned to surprise me with one some, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" made famous by the Sons of the Pioneers. The reason I like the song so much is because of the beauty of the three-part harmony!

When I was a kid, there were always sing-alongs, whether travelling by car or around a campfire or a piano. My dad had a good tenor voice and loved to sing. My mom had a strong alto voice.Many of my cousins and sisters and brothers are quite talented too. When we were young adults and were getting married, at family gatherings, after the dance there would be a lot of singing. That is really when my passion for the tumbleweeds began. My cousin's husband, and her two brothers sang beautifully together. They almost always would say yes to my request. Please note we would have been singing some standards but mostly current rock and roll music. Although my prairie roots led me to have direct knowledge of tumbleweeds (they are very prickly), country music wasn't a favorite. I was very fond of my cousins and saw them a few times a year. After university, we saw each other less often, usually at a family gathering -- weddings and funerals. One of the trio of singers is a man named after my Grandfather, Herman, but was only ever called Buddy. Later as an older teen it shifted to Bud.

The entire show is fantastic, everyone needs a lot of love for the countless hours they put into learning their music and choreography. Still the highlight of the show for me was a soul-filled song, sung by Diane King Vann, called "My Buddy." Immediately my cousin's face was before me. We haven't connected in person for much too long. The music made me realize how much I missed seeing him.

Isn't it interesting how music can evoke something deep within us? Sometimes it evokes a memory of the first time you heard it; at others the song itself seems to describe a person or a feeling within you. I believe it is one way the Universal Presence makes Itself known to us. When our hearts open by whatever means, it is Spirit within us, opening to a greater idea of life and ourselves.

Tickets will be available at the door.

You Have Options With Dr. David Ault

Dr. David Ault

This Sunday the amazing Rev. Dr. David Ault will be speaking at our Center on the topic "You Have Options." I am very excited about it. He is a powerful speaker and a loving presence. When times are tough it is good to remember who you are and that you always have options. Choose to attend this Sunday. You will be glad you did.

I have been a fan of David's for a long time, maybe thirty years. Before David was called to pulpit ministry, he was a sought-after singer. The lyrics of his songs had a way of melting hearts, opening minds and bringing hope. I first heard David when he was a member of the group Alliance, who toured with Louise Hay while she was doing her healing work with AIDS victims. In those days, a diagnosis of HIV positive was a death sentence. There was a great deal of fear and hopelessness not only in the afflicted communities but in our culture in general. I remember having a long conversation with our school nurse when I was working in a high school. Her vision for the future was dire ... the human race was going to extinguish itself through hormones and unprotected sex.Thank goodness that is not the case.

Louise Hay and Alliance brought hope to those men and women who were dying alone, shunned by their family and friends.The musicians were pioneers in visionary music; music that opened our hearts and gave us hope; music that reminded us that we are more than our problems, our bodies, our broken hearts, that we are infinite, beautiful spiritual beings.

Alliance's signature song was Jai Joseph's "I Love Myself the Way I Am." Their harmonies were exquisite and lyrics were words of truth that resonated with our souls.

I love myself the way I am, 
there’s nothing I need to change 
I’ll always be the perfect me 
there’s nothing to rearrange 
I’m beautiful and capable 
of being the best me I can 
And I love myself just the way I am

 These timeless lyrics were some of the first visionary, metaphysical lyrics, sung in many New Thought centers around the world. Now thanks to songwriters like Karen Drucker, Daniel Nahmod, Rickie Byars Beckwith, Allendale and a host of others we have many profoundly meaningful songs to take us deeper into the mystery and majesty that we are. One of my favorites was recorded by David Ault in 2005, entitled "I'm Here To Remind You." It is a moving, powerful heartfelt song. I am attaching the video . Take a little time to view it. You will be happy you did. After all, my job is to remind you of your magnificence!

Seeing the Light in Others

"People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."  ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

I agree with Dr. Kubler-Ross's statement in part. The truth is the light within us is always there; sometimes we forget that it is there. I just returned from our annual Lake Arrowhead retreat and am filled with awareness, not only of my own light, but also the light that resides in everyone else. I enjoyed the workshops done by Rev. Mike McMorrow from the Granada Hills Center for Spiritual Living. Rev. Mike had recently read Brenee Brown's work, which is all about vulnerability and authenticity. It was great to see him practice these principles and in his own words not become a "girlie man." It is great to be living in a both-and world rather than an either-or one. In a both-and world men and women can be powerful and tender, vulnerable and strong, resilient and pliable all at the same time. It was easy to see Rev. Mike's light; he let it shine. Doing do, he set the consciousness for the rest of the retreat.

During the weekend, each pastor was scheduled to give a brief welcome, teach a lesson and facilitate a class. Dr. Moira, who is in charge of the program, introduced us both Friday night and Saturday morning, in such a way as to bring out our real selves -- not a rehearsed, ego-driven self. This gave room to let the real light emerge.

My class was scheduled right after lunch on Sunday. We had been in meetings nonstop since Friday night. Sunday was a glorious sunny, summery day in Lake Arrowhead. I had prepared a workshop on Affirmative Prayer and was ready for whomever showed up. Honestly, I had doubts about having much attendance but had made enough copies of my worksheets for everyone who had registered. Much to my surprise, the room was filled. The workshop was great. Later a woman from Redondo Beach told me that I shouldn't have been surprised that people chose to come to my workshop; she said I was a legend and people wanted to hear me speak! Wow! A legend!

I have been teaching something since I was a kid. i love it and it tends to be easy for me. Often it is harder for us to see our own light than it is for us to see someone else's. Some people have a tendency to take their own skills for granted.

During the retreat, i noticed times of their great vulnerability and authenticity in most people! I also saw people playing small, even ones with a great big light!

Marianne Williamson reminded us of that tendency in A Return to Love:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"

If you are one of those people, now is the time to break the habit. Practice giving thanks for the good that is already yours, the skills you have and the talents with which you have been gifted.

Let your inner light shine so that the world can see your true beauty.

Seeing Clearly

Daniel Nahmod

Today I will be going up the mountain to Lake Arrowhead for our annual multi-Center Retreat. This retreat is organized by the Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living and has been a Memorial Weekend activity for many years. Almost always the consciousness of lack of clarity is that with which we arrive and clarity is what we open up to and embrace while there. Because our environment echoes our consciousness, we have begun most retreats with a great deal of fog and even snow. However, after getting clear all weekend, we usually return in sunny, clear conditions.

I know that some of you are coming with me, but for those of you staying at home, consider identifying the areas in your life which seem a little hazy, in which you cannot clearly see the outcome you desire. Then ask yourself are you trying to make something happen?

Memorial weekend of 2008, I was feeling burnt out. The idea of giving two talks and a workshop seemed impossible. How could I inspire others when my own well of inspiration seemed so dry? I could not get clear about my topics. I had thrown together some workshop ideas and had even made copies of handouts. But I was grieving for our friend and Board Member who had just passed the previous weekend. We had done an amazing memorial service for her and had celebrated her life and driving up to Lake Arrowhead, I let myself feel my loss. I encountered myself all the way up the mountain and all the pent up tears came flowing out. I was listening to a CD by Rev. Cynthia James and I was moved and comforted and then dashed into despair again. Although I tried to pray, my prayers were dry and meaningless.

It took several extra hours to get to the retreat Center. In addition to the fog, I missed my turns and had to retrace my way several times. Those turnarounds were heart-stopping. I didn't know if I was on the inside or the outside edge of that mountain road. I knew I had a commitment and I kept going. I am so glad I did.

Instead of trying to push my way through the pain, I allowed myself to be nurtured that entire weekend. Rev. Moira, took me to my room and assured me not to worry about a thing. I obeyed. The next evening, our friend Daniel Nahmod did a heart-felt private concert for the members of our Center who were also grieving. That was the first time anyone heard Last Song. I am grateful for the kindness of others and for their willingness to bend and change to accommodate the needs of others.

In your own lack of clarity, perhaps it is time for some self-nurturing and to remember that you are never alone and that you are infinitely loved. Right now you are enough!

Build a Better Story

When Rev. Michael Gott visited here a few weeks ago, he shared about his love of God and his secret feelings of shame, growing up in a fundamentalist church in which being gay was a sin. He shared his terror as a child, coming home from school one day, seeing no one on the street and finding no one at home, he thought that the rapture had occurred and he had been left behind. He also told about his gratitude when his mother came home but how stymied he felt since he couldn't share his great fear with his mother. I felt so much compassion for the little boy who Michael had been.

I also felt empathy for my own experience of being left behind. My wounding came from rules of the day regarding children's care not by the religion of my family but by the rules of a hospital. When I was three and a half years old, I had to have my tonsils removed. I was taken to a hospital many miles away from the village in which we lived.

To get a picture of my consciousness at the time, I was a bright, alert child, who had been the baby of the family for three and half wonderful years. Then my brothers were born. Everyone told me how lucky we were to have boys! I didn't feel lucky, I felt invaded. Up until then, the children in the family had been my older sister Kathryn and me. I thought the family was perfect just the way it was. But no one asked me.

Instead I was told that I was now a big girl who had little brothers! As a big girl I would no longer sleep in a crib but would sleep in a regular bed. My brothers were born in a local hospital. As far as I knew, if you wanted a baby you went to the hospital to get it, and if you no longer wanted your baby , you might take them back to the hospital. (That was a terrorizing story that I told myself.)

So there I was in a hospital where the nurses were mean and treated me like a baby by making me sleep in a crib.They fed me yucky food like Cream of Wheat cereal and gave me no choices. My throat hurt and there wasn't any mother to hold me and comfort me. To make matters worse, my mother was not allowed to visit me while I was under the doctors care. I was in the hospital for ten days! All the while I was imagining that I was no longer needed or wanted in my family. (Mom had visited every day but was not allowed to let me see her; One of the strange rules of the day.)

Of course, eventually she was able to take me home and I got to practice loving the invaders. (It took a long time but they turned out pretty good!)

Looking back now, I see that what I did is what we often do when we don't have all the facts. WE MAKE STUFF UP! None of it, except needing my tonsils removed, was even a fact, much less true. As human beings, we search to make meaning of what we experience. If we are making something up that could be beneficial, that would be great! But if we are making something up that is heart-breaking, disappointing or disturbing, we need to use the power of our minds to tell ourselves another story, a better one.

Try it next time your busy monkey mind has you wondering about a situation. Maybe you are preparing to do something you have never done before -- like walking on burning coals. Rev. Geoff Layng told us recently related his experience of walking on fire. He said the trainer took a day and a half preparing the walkers to build better beliefs; beliefs so they would not burn their feet. He said that almost everyone walked without injury. Take time to build a bigger belief in the right outcome, then live fully. You are using the creative process every time you are convinced about anything!

Beginner's Mind

"The mind that dies every day to the memories of yesterday, to all the joys and sorrows of the past -- such a mind is fresh, innocent, it has no age; and without that innocence, you will not find God."  J. Krishnmurti

Is your mind getting old? Is it showing wear and tear of holding on to anger, sorrow, disappointment or loneliness? Are you forgetful? Do you search for the right word more than occasionally?

In Perlmutter's book, Grain Brain, he writes that the brain, like every other cell in our body, regenerates itself! This was great news to me! What used to be believed by neurosurgeons is that once you lost any mental capacity it was gone for good. we were taught that  things like excess alcohol usage killed brain cells and once they were dead, they were gone! Isn't it great news, that brain cells can be regrown?

What great news! We could have newish brains, the instrument for our minds to use, can be restored.  Perlmutter's theory is that it is the foods that we are eating that is making us forgetful, and causing dementia, depression and other neurological disorders. We can choose to live a healthy life.

However if you eat right and live a healthy lifestyle and poison your mind with negativity, envy, anger, disappointment and loneliness, the results will still be an experience of an aging mind. As J. Krishnamurti points out, no matter what our age, if we cannot let go of the memories of yesterday, we will not find God. If we do not find God, our lives will be filled with despair, worry, confusion and our bodies, including our brains will suffer from that consciousness.

Isn't it time, to put that baggage away that you have been carrying around? It gets so heavy after awhile. Of course, you know that you are only harming yourself. The person that "done you wrong" is not suffering at all. You can't undo the past, but you can take the sting out if it. Let it go. See the perpetrator as a small child not knowing any better. If he or she could have done better in that moment, he/she would have.  Surrender it to God. let it go.

Choose to have a ageless, healthy mind in an ageless, healthy body. 

You Can't Fully Prosper With Beliefs Like That!

My Potted Azalea Last Year

Several years ago, at the top of the housing market, I succumbed to the lure of buying a condo that I didn't love or even like. Real estate prices were rising so fast I fell into the urgency of that market, thinking this would eventually become my savings for my future. 

People were pleased for me. Many people poured their love on me -- they helped make the home brighter and lighter by painting, cleaning, papering the cupboards, installing screens and doors.I felt so loved by the members of my community who wanted the best for me. I was very grateful but at the end of the day, my heart sang with gratitude for the people in my life but not for my home.

The home was still dark, damp and cold. Although there was a small patio, there was no place where the sun reached. I knew inside that I had compromised.I was not being true to myself. I was not living my dream. One of the turning points was to look at my patio to see a couple of potted plants that had only weeks previously been full of healthy blooms, now looking bedraggled and forlorn. I believe they were reflecting my consciousness.

Two years ago I started listening to my heart's desires to live somewhere beautiful! After three floods and a crash of the housing market, I finally woke up to the fact that this condo would never provide me with good, because I didn't love it. I tried to love it. Sometimes I got close. 

The Church of my Childhood

Perhaps you can relate. I believe it is very important to be living your dream. That means to pay attention to what you really love and do it. It is really loving yourself. No matter how much love is poured on you by others, you will never bloom fully until you are fully loving yourself: loving without restrictions or conditions; telling the truth to yourself; saying yes to the voice of the great I AM. 

There is an old gospel song that we sang in the church choir when I was a kid, "There is sunshine in my soul today." I loved that song then. (It no longer fits my musical taste or beliefs but the feeling of being filled with joy is still important.) It is really the sunshine of your soul that makes everything flourish! 

For some people shade is pleasant and soothing. I am not one of those people. I like living in  the light. Spiritual living is living in the light.

I finally realized that no matter how painful it was to give up, to quit trying to make something work, it was even more painful to stay where I felt imprisoned. I decided to put the condo on the market even though the market price was much lower than what i owed on it. It was scary and it was worth it. Last year I moved to a large condo that is filled with light. My patio is filled with beauty. The potted plants not only survived the move, they thrived from the move.

Nature does not withhold our good from us. We do it to ourselves when we  are living from the world of effects. Looking back I see that I was originally motivated by fear and greed. Fear of never being a home owner again and greed to cash in on the inflationary market. Of course, I could never fully prosper with those beliefs as my initiating causation. I had to let go and tell myself the truth. When I did, the entire Universe conspired to make my dreams come true. 

Nature is a big show off. My potted plants and I love our new location. My heart is filled with sunshine and my home reflects the beauty and sunshine of my soul.